Pseudo
by ice shredder
Summary: "It should've been you. Or me. We shouldn't have left her with the responsibility." Ruby felt her lips trembling. "Jaune...I-I almost made it." He stared at her with lifeless, blue eyes. "Almost didn't save Pyrrha's life." Vol 3 finale aftermath. Heavy spoilers for the episode. One-shot. Not a fix-fic. Slightly OOC Jaune. Enjoy!


**Title: Pseudo**

 **Author: ice shredder**

 **Disclaimer: not mine, RWBY belongs to RT and Monty Oum.**

 **Summary: "It should've been you. Or me. We shouldn't have left her with the responsibility." Ruby felt her lips trembling. "Jaune...I-I almost made it." He stared at her with lifeless, blue eyes. "** _ **Almost**_ **didn't save Pyrrha's life." Vol 3 finale aftermath. Heavy spoilers for the episode. One-shot. Not a fix-fic. Enjoy!**

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 _Fake._

 _Charlatan._

 _Loser._

Those three words had become Jaune Arc's constant companions along with the dark oppressive cloud of grief and despair that clung to him ever since Pyrrha went to her untimely demise on the top of Beacon Tower.

A death that could've been prevented.

Snow and dirt crunched under his shoes a steady rhythm that did nothing to soothe the bone-deep ache in his soul and heart.

 _Well Jauney-boy,_ a smarmy voice that sounded like a mockery of Cardin's, _how's that 'hero' business workin' out for ya? I mean, that's the reason you faked your way into Beacon right? Just because you wanted to be like daddy and grandpa. How pathetic. Ozpin musta been smoking the crack pretty hard to promote your loser ass to team leader. Hah! Yer nothing more than a little boy who wants to play out his retarded fantasies of saving the world._

Jaune plodded forward with his hood up at the rear, hands stuffed in his pockets. Wanting to be alone with his thoughts and not talk very much if he could help it. Lie Ren was walking point with Ruby at the front while Nora Valkyrie, the only surviving female of what was once Team JNPR kept her eyes peeled toward the snow-laden trees lining the dirt path they were on.

Nearly three weeks had passed since the fall of Beacon. The early winter sky threatened another round of snow, leaden clouds stewing ominously overhead. It looked harsh. Unforgiving.

Cold.

Kind of like the wintry chill that settled in the blond knight's soul when Pyrrha shoved him into that damned locker- _she stuck him in a tree, the one thing he told her he NEVER wanted while everyone else fought for their lives-_ and decided she would try to slay the she-demon alone.

He was weak.

And she knew that, but she'd been too nice to say it to his face.

No matter how much they trained on that rooftop, he knew it would take him all four years to master all the myriad sword strikes and string more advanced combos together. Not to mention the dreaded aura training. He pursed his lips at he recalled begging off Pyhrra's offers to help him on that critical aspect of becoming a true Huntsman.

 _I shouldn't have done that. Stupid. Maybe if I worked on my aura, I wouldn't be so useless when it really mattered._

He remembered the crown of Pyrrha's magnificent red mane leaning against his shoulder outside the school cafeteria in a rare moment of intimacy. Granted, their sparring sessions were one thing, but on that fateful day, hours before she ran to her death, he'd felt the stirrings of something _more_ in his chest for his partner. At that moment, Jaune Arc had the world at his sneakered feet.

But the dark cloud that had hung over Pyrrha's head-Huntress' duty marring her fleeting peace-pushed her off his shoulder. At that moment, all he wanted to do was grab her back from the invisible chains of destiny pulling her away, crush her to his chest and never let go. If a clueless kid like him could gain entrance into Beacon on false transcripts then she could fight this unnamed burden weighing her proud shoulders down. She could forge her own path.

 _"Pyrrha you're not making any sense-"_

 _Her distress was palpable as she stood and abruptly walked a short distance away, cotton candy forgotten on the pavement._

 _"None of this makes any sense! This isn't how things were supposed to happen!"_

Right there, he should've walked away. Held his tongue. But he was worried over her deteriorating composure and going into the finals without your head in the game was a disaster waiting to happen.

 _"I'm sorry! I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong."_

 _"I've always felt as if I was destined to become a Huntress. To protect the world. And it's become increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right. But..." she hesitated and turned to face him. Emerald eyes heavy and filled with uncertainty. "I don't know if I can do it."_

 _"Of course you can. The Pyrrha Nikos I know would never back down from a challenge. And if you believe it's your destiny to save the world...ya can't let anything stand in your way."_

A bitter chuckle slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. He just _had_ to open his big _fat_ stupid mouth and dispense those blindly noble words that pushed her right into Cinder's arms.

Didn't he?

Oh yeah. _Real genius move there._

"Jaune?" Ren's low voice sliced through the raw winter air from behind on rear guard. "Do you want to stop for a bit?" The black-haired teen-along with the girls-didn't like the semi-lifeless state their friend was falling into.

He didn't want to admit it, but his team leader-and the brother he never had-was slipping further and further out of reach despite Ruby and Nora's best efforts.

And it scared the green-clad man more than he was willing to let on.

Cold, blue eyes flicked from their watchful concentration of the path to meet his concerned grey orbs.

"No. Just...keep going."

Ruby turned from the front of the group to face her first friend. Silver eyes clouded with worry.

"Jaune...maybe we should-"

"I said _no_ Ruby. Don't treat me like I'm a stupid child."

The small girl recoiled at his sharp words, but he was no longer interested in sparing feelings or being nice. That part of him died with Pyrrha. Jaune hadn't smiled since that awful night. He probably wouldn't for a very long time.

But that was fine.

His sun had been ruthlessly snuffed out. Plus it took effort to laugh or form a smile and he didn't feel like summoning the energy to do either.

Right now, all he cared about was getting to Haven alive and extracting revenge.

 _If_ they survived getting out of Patch wihout getting eaten by the ever-present Grimm threat brought on by his grief and rage.

Unfortunately, Ruby wasn't exactly the most tactful person and her mouth kept going even as she continued walking.

"We'll see this through Jaune. Cinder's gonna pay for what she did. You can bet on that." She was disheartened when the older boy remained silent in the face of her optimism.

He didn't bother answering. What was the point? _She_ might have a fighting chance. Unlike him who had zero aura control and the most basic fighting skills.

Oh right.

Ruby was the 'Chosen' one after all, with the awakening of her special silver-eyed light-show powers on top of the CCT. Which only happened thanks to witnessing Pyrrha getting shot and fried by Cinder.

To Jaune, it wasn't worth the price.

Ruby wasn't Pyrrha. She could never replace what he lost.

Nor fully heal the hole in his heart.

A hole only Pyrrha could fill and she was _dead-_

With a strangled growl he stormed past Ruby who caught at his sleeve.

He jerked out of her grasp, disdain filling his once expressive playful eyes.

"What?" He snapped, not caring at her flinch. "Is that the best you can do? Fill the air with a bunch of empty words? Sorry to burst your little hero bubble Ruby, but I don't give a damn about what you've got to say. Words won't bring my partner back to life. Yanno now that I think about it-" Jaune raised his blond head to the dull afternoon sky. "That should've been you Cinder killed. Or me. She was strong. Stronger than all of us. But I- _we_ shouldn't have left her with the responsibility. Ozpin had _no right_ to use her like that-!"

"Jaune..." Ruby's voice sounded even smaller if that were possible. Shaken. This was the second time someone told her she should die. Torchwick was one thing. He'd been a bad guy. But _Jaune_ was a friend.

Friends didn't wish each other dead.

"Please...tell me...you didn't mean that." Tears threatened to spill over and Ruby felt her lips trembling and her throat closing up. _"Please._ Jaune...I-I almost made it-"

He stared at her with lifeless, blue eyes.

" _Almost_ didn't save Pyrrha's life."

Ruby cast her wet eyes to the ground, lips quivering harder.

 _"They don't give out medals for 'almost'."_

She was realizing more and more what Qrow truly meant when he said that to her and Yang back in their dorm room the hard way.

"Jaune!" Nora scolded, frowning at her leader in disapproval. "Apologize!"

He shot the hammer-user a glare that said _what for?_ then continued walking down the path.

"Keep moving," the young knight ordered- _not an actual knight, no he was a cheap knockoff..._ _ **Pyrrha**_ _had been the real deal. He'd been the damsel in distress._ "We'll make camp in a few hours."

But the dark wouldn't hold any comfort.

Not for him.

Jaune kept his face closed, unmoved by Ruby's soft weeping and Nora trying to comfort the young warrior.

If at some point in time, this journey demanded his life, he would gladly give it in the end to protect his friends.

He'd get to see Pyrrha again.

At least then, the pain in his heart would stop.

 **-end**

 **A/N: I know I'm a little late to the party, but here's my little contribution to the tidal wave of Vol 3 finale fics. If you're looking for a 'fix-it' fic you've come to the wrong place.**

 ***Sigh* Alright guys. I'm gonna be brutally honest here. The one thing that's annoyed me since the reveal of Ruby's sliver eyed ex machina powers, it's all the crazy, convoluted denial theories that Pyrrha SOMEHOW miraculously survived an arrow through the heart and Cinder FLASH FRYING her body into embers. Sorry folks. Pyrrha is** _ **dead**_ **dead. As in never coming back. Just like Yang's severed right arm. I've seen far too many animes that cheapen death and this show shouldn't be one of them. The only way I'll accept seeing her on the show going forward is through flashbacks or memories. Also, if Jaune comes across as a bit OOC towards the others, it's only because he's grieving his loss. I know he smiled a little bit but sometimes the pain gets too much and people say things they don't mean so take his words with a grain of salt.**

 **As for the new unofficial team 'name' I've seen RNJR (Ranger) floating around a lot, but I'm going to go with JRRN (Journey) because team names officially apply if the kids are in school and since Beacon's been destroyed, that's really what the show's gonna be from now on. And let's face it. After Pyrrha's death, no one's safe. Not even the Core 4 cast.**

 **As always, enjoy and don't forget to review. :)**


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